Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 14

Research Paper Example The real GDP growth of china again reduced to 7.8% and GDP hits approximately 8.23 million US dollars in 2012. According to International Monetary Fund China’s PPP in 2012 was 12,382.559 billion US dollar. According to World Bank’s report China’s PPP in 2011 was 11,290 billion US dollar. The country’s PPP in 2010 was 10085.71 billion US dollars. According to the IMF report it was estimated that Greece would achieve a GDP of 254,978 billion US dollar but finally had achieved a growth of -5.70%. According to the report of UN Greece had achieved a GDP of 299,001 billion US dollar at a growth rate of -6.7%. In 2010 the GDP of Greece was 271.112 billion at a growth rate of -3.5%. Since last few years Greece is going through several economical problems. On the other hand China is becoming one of the strongest leading economies globally. China is the second largest and strongest economy in the world (Deshpande & Nurse, 2012). The higher GDP growth rate, increasing GNP and increasing PPP is the evidence of China’s economical development. On the other hand, decreasing GDP growth rate, decrease in per capita income of people which has identified in this study clearly states the Greece is undergoing several economical problems. Greek government debt-crisis and European Sovereign-debt crisis is the key reason behind the economical problems of Greece. The Greek government debt crisis is a part of European sovereign-debt crisis. It is a structural weakness of the economy of Greece that coupled with banking and tax unification of the monetary union of Europe. Due to these kinds of problems Greece is going through several challenges. In terms of China, the Nation is experiencing a higher average growth rate of 10% over the last 30 years. Higher GDP growth, increasing per capita income, high disposable income of people and Higher GNP states that the country is becoming one of the strongest economies. According to reports of

Rephrase Completely Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Rephrase Completely - Essay Example tickets with much lower costs with their business model mirroring that of SWA with only a single type of airplane being used thus lowering their total maintenance costs. In addition, JetBlue has also been successful in its cost management strategy by plying their aircrafts to longer distances and also boarding more passengers in a single flight. This strategy has enabled them to gain more profits by covering the fixed costs in the higher number of tickets sold. The low fares offered by the airline per available seat-mile is the lowest fare provided in the whole of the US. Apart from the cost leadership, JetBlue further distinguishes itself from SWA in other facilities offered to the passengers. SWA has only been able to offer the low air fares by compromising on certain passenger amenities. However, JetBlue has been able to provide high-class services to its passengers even while offering low fares. Some of the facilities offered which distinguishes JetBlue from its competitors include comfortable leather seats; several facilities for entertainment such as individual screens and radio channels. Thus JetBlue has been able to successfully integrate the lower costs of structure and operations with high-class facilities and service provided to the passengers. In addition to these, better services and low fares are also available even during ticket procurement. JetBlue deploys live agents in the ticketing department as it has realized that several customers prefer to speak to agents directly while purchasing their tickets. They also offer home sourcing fo r aged customers who are unable to commute or buy tickets online. Such measures have increased their productivity and emerged as a cheaper alternative to outsourcing and has also contributed to better face value among its customers. Adopting the integration strategy has given a competitive advantage to JetBlue which offers low cost and a relatively better service value While such integrative measures can create a

Duality in Waiting For Godot

Duality in Waiting For Godot Beckett is known to have commented, I had little talent for happiness.- This sentence in itself is absurd, like the most famous drama of Beckett: Waiting for Godot. But what exactly absurdity means? The original or dictionary meaning of absurd is Out of harmony. utterly or obviously senseless, illogical, or untrue; contrary to all reason or common sense; laughably foolish or false.But the word has a different meaning when it is used int he theatre of the absurd. Marking the difference between a good play and an absurd play, Martin Esslin opines: If a good play must have a cleverly constructed story, these have no story or plot to speak of : if a good play is judged by subtlety of characterization and motivation, these are often without recognizable characters and present the audience with almost mechanical puppets; if a good play has to have a fully explained theme, which is neatly exposed and finally solved, these often have neither a beginning nor an end; if a good play is to hold the mirror upto nature and portray the manners and mannerisms of the age in finely observed sketches, these seem often to be reflections of dreams and nightmares if a good play relies on witty repartee and pointed dialogues, these often consist of incoherent babblings. Waiting for Godot is chock-full of pairs. Theres Vladimir and Estragon, the two thieves, the Boy and his brother, Pozzo and Lucky, Cain and Abel, and of course the two acts of the play itself. With these pairs comes the repeated notion of arbitrary, 50/50 chances. One thief is saved and other damned, but for no clear reason. If Vladimir and Estragon try to hang themselves, the bough may or may not break. One man may die, one man may live. Godot may or may not come to save them. In the Bible, Cains sacrifice was rejected and Abels accepted for no discernible reason. Its minor, but Estragons line in Act I: My left lung is very weak [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]. But my right lung is sound as a bell! More pairs, more arbitrary damnation. Even the tone of Waiting for Godot is filled with duality: two person arguments, back-and-forth questions, disagreement-agreement, questions and (often inadequate) answers. The tree is the only distinct piece of the setting, so were pretty sure it matters. Right off the bat youve got the biblical stuff; Jesus was crucified on a cross, but that cross is sometimes referred to as a tree, as in, Jesus was nailed to the tree. That Vladimir and Estragon contemplate hanging themselves from the tree is likely a reference to the crucifixion, but it also parodies the religious significance. If Jesus died for the sins of others, Vladimir and Estragon are dying for nothing. But we can also think of the two men not as Jesus, but rather as the two thieves crucified along with Jesus. This fits quite nicely with gospels tale as Vladimir tells it; one thief is saved and the other damned, so Didi and Gogo are looking at a fifty-fifty chance. The uncertainty that stems from inconsistency between the four gospels is fitting, too, since Vladimir cant be certain if Godot is coming to save either one of them. Furthermore, Vladimir reports that he was told to wait for Godot by the tree. This should be reassuring it means the men are in the right place. As Estragon points out, theyre not sure if this is the right tree. And, come to think of it, they cant even be sure if this is a tree or not. It kind of looks like a shrub. The tree could be the tree of life. So the trees random blooming would suggest that it is something of a tree of life. And, according to the proverb, that means a desire has been fulfilled. Moreover the trees sprouting leaves could be an ironic symbol pointing out that, far from fulfilled desires, hopes have been deferred yet another day much like Vladimirs ironic claim in Act II that things have changed here since yesterday when, clearly, nothing at all has.. While Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot, they also wait for nightfall. For some reason (again, arbitrary and uncertain), they dont have to wait for him once the night has fallen. The classic interpretation is that night = dark = death. The falling of night is as much a reprieve from daily suffering as death is from the suffering of a lifetime. Theres also the issue of the moon, as its appearance in the sky is the real signal that night has come and the men can stop waiting for Godot. Estragon, in one of his wicked smart moments, comments the moon is pale for weariness [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] of climbing heaven and gazing on the likes of us. Though the man remembers nothing of yesterday, he does in this moment seem to comprehend the endless repetition of his life. And if the moon is weary just from watching, imagine what that says about the predicament of the men themselves. Carrots and turnips are in one sense just a gag reel for Vladimir and Estragons comic bits. But I was interested in their disagreement over the vegetable: Funny, Estragon comments as he munches, the more you eat, the worse it gets. Vladimir quickly disagrees, adding that, for him, its just the opposite. On the one hand, this could be a completely meaningless conversation the point is simply that Vladimir is in disagreement, playing at opposites, adding to the bickering duality between himself and Gogo. On the other hand, the carrot could be about the meaning of life. It could be a hint as to the differences between the way Vladimir and Estragon live their lives. Vladimirs subsequent comment, an addendum to his carrot claim, is that he gets used to the muck as [he goes] along. He resigns himself to banality. Estragon, on the other hand, wearies as time passes much like the weary moon he observes in Act II. When Pozzo later dishes about smoking, he claims that a second pipe is never so sweet [as the first]. But its sweet just the same. This is a third and distinct answer to the carrot question. When Lucky is commanded to dance in Act I, Pozzo reveals that he calls his dance The Net, adding, He thinks hes entangled in a net. You would think a guy tied up on a rope leash would feel confined enough. Of course, the image of Lucky writhing in an imaginary net is a lasting image for the play as a whole, and especially for the plight of Vladimir and Estragon, who, as weve said before, are confined in a prison or perhaps a net of their own imaginations. There seems to be no shortage of inane props in Waiting for Godot, and these three have one thing in common: they are all absurd objects on which the men have developed irrational dependences. Lucky cannot think without his bowler. Pozzo needs his vaporizer to speak. Estragon seems condemned to forever take his boots on and off, as does Vladimir with his hat. This is another great combination of the tragic and the comic; the situation is hilarious for its absurdity, but dismal at the same time. Estragon is repeatedly repelled by smells in Waiting for Godot. Vladimir stinks of garlic, Lucky smells like who knows what, and Pozzo reeks of a fart in Act II. It seems every time Estragon tries to get close to a person, he is repelled by their odor. It looks to us like smells represent one of the barriers to interpersonal relationships. Estragon isnt just repelled by odors hes repelled by the visceral humanity of those around him. Theres something gritty and base about the odor of a human body, and for Estragon its too much to handle. There are several interpretations of Waiting for Godot, the two most well-known are the religious one and the political one. The religious interpretations posit Vladimir and Estragon as humanity waiting for the elusive return of a savior. If this is the basic idea, then this makes Pozzo into the Pope and Lucky into the faithful. The faithful are then viewed as a cipher of God cut short by human intolerance. The twisted tree can alternatively represent either the tree of death, the tree of life, the tree of Judas or the tree of knowledge. Political interpretations also abound. Some reviewers hold that the relationship between Pozzo and Lucky is that of a capitalist to his labor. This Marxist interpretation is understandable given that in the second act Pozzo is blind to what is happening around him and Lucky is mute to protest his treatment. The play has also been understood as an allegory for Franco-German relations. An interesting interpretation argues that Lucky receives his name because he is lucky in the context of the play. Since most of the play is spent trying to find things to do to pass the time, Lucky is lucky because his actions are determined absolutely by Pozzo. Pozzo on the other hand is unlucky because he not only needs to pass his own time but must find things for Lucky to do.

Valley Region of the Appalachian Mountains Essay -- Karst Region Virgi

Valley Region of the Appalachian Mountains and Subsequent Karst Regions in the State of Virginia This map which appears on page 402 of Process Geomorphology (1995), written by Dale F. Ritter, Craig R. Kochel, and Jerry R. Miller, serves as the basis of my report on the formation of the Appalachian Mountains and its subsequent karst regions in along the Atlantic side of the United States particularly in the state of Virginia. The shaded areas represent generalized karst regions throughout the United States. The state of Virginia is divided into five major physiological regions based on similar landscapes and relatively static climates, each region being as diverse as the next. From the east to west they are respectively named, the Tidewater which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the fall line, the Piedmont which lies east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Blue Ridge Mountains which exclusively extends to the eastern Appalachian Mountains, and finally the Ridge and Valley region of the Appalachian Mountain chain. In this paper I will pay particular attention to the formation of the Appalachian Mountains and the subsequent karst regions in the western part of the state. â€Å"Ordovician mountain building events in eastern North America are collectively termed Tactonic Orogeny (Stanley, 318).† In short, there were three such orogenic events that helped form the current-day Appalachian Mountains. This was the first of three orogenic episodes occurred when Laurentia, the North American craton, part of the continental crust, collided with the Iapetus which is composed of oceanic crust. The resulting impact caused mountains to rise up in the east. Over thousands of years, through the process of physical and chemi... ...Ridge and Valley Province of the Virginian landscape. Hartley, 2003 Works Cited Hartley, Ralph. Memorial Day Cave. 2003. Montgomery, Carla W. Environmental Geology 6th Edition. Northern Illinois University. McGraw Hill. New York. 2003. Patterson, J.H. North America 9th Edition. Oxford University Press. .New York, 1994 Skyline Caverns. Virginia, USA. Regions of Virginia. 2005. Ritter, F. Dale, Kochel, R. Craig, Miller R. Jerry. Process Geomorphology 3rd Edition. Wm. C. Brown Publishers. Boston. 1995. Stanley, Steven M. Earth System History 2nd Edition. John Hopkins University. W.H. Freeman & Co. New York, 2005 Topographic Map of Virginia. National Geographic Data Center.

College vs. High School Essay

There is so much freedom and you must use your time wisely in order to succeed. When you get to the university you will find you meet all sorts of people from all over the place with so many different cultural backgrounds and religions and beliefs and opinions. You get exposed to new ideas and new experiences. The classes are very different too. If you live on campus, it will likely be your first time living away from home, which is a huge experience. And once you find your major, you will find your people. You will actually be going to school with people who want to be there. As opposed to high school where students have to be there and many can careless about the subjects. College is a completely new experience with many unique aspects that can change and help define one’s life. Many people love college, and find it to be a new beginning. It is a new opportunity to define yourself as an individual. You can establish a new image, because everyone is looking to do the exact same thing. In college, it’s time to strap down and get to work. There’s really no room for error. Classes are spread out throughout the week, and you often have much down time. There is a lot of work and it is crammed into a short period. It is up to you to know when to eat lunch, and it is up to you when to study. It is also your decision to fill that time where you are not studying or doing work with productive things. High school is a period in which many new things happen. You now find yourself in a world full of raging hormones, honors classes, and new found freedoms. High school is routine in a way. You have your eight or so classes year round, and you know when you will be eating lunch. The same kids you went to elementary and middle school with probably are the same kids you went to high school with. Basically, high school is much regimented, and many people find themselves having the same friends for many years. Because of this, in turn once a â€Å"reputation† or â€Å"image† was established for you in high school, most likely that was going to stick with you for the rest of your time left. The work in high school is a piece of cake. Unless you are taking honors or AP courses, there is really no reason why someone’s GPA should drop below 2. 5. Classes in high school are small in size, usually between twenty and thirty students, and there is a one on one feeling with the teacher. It is a laid back atmosphere because everyone knows each other. Also in high school, many students find a way around the â€Å"school† part. Countless students slack off and don’t apply themselves to their work or studies. Because of this, many students find themselves doing new extracurricular activities, and I think we all know what is meant by that. It is very easy in high school to fall into bad habits. High School is a perfect opportunity to go down the wrong path and find yourself in bad situations. In conclusion, even though high school is an important step in life, college is an even bigger step. They are similar in some ways but in others they are the same. High school prepares you for college. It is a time full of new experiences and lessons. College is a new chapter in life and you can basically start over. In a way, college is a mature version of high school. High school and college are what you make of it. To find the true similarities and differences, one must experience both for themselves.

Prons and Cons of Corporate Reporting Essay

We succinctly lay out arguments put forth both for and against the regulation of corporate disclosure and standard-setting. We then examine current developments suggesting that accounting standard-setting is at risk of becoming entangled in a web of political forces with potentially significant consequences. The crisis has brought into sharp focus the reality that the regulation of corporate reporting is just one piece of a larger regulatory configuration, and that forces are at play that would subjugate accounting standard-setting to broader regulatory demands. Recent actions by the European Commission relating to IFRS 9 and proposed legislation in the US Congress to create a systemic risk council serve to illustrate this point. We conclude by discussing in detail the recent fair value debate as a case study of the way in which bank regulatory policy and accounting standard-setting decisions were jointly determined as a potentially socially optimal means to mitigate the effects of the financial crisis. Keywords: regulation; corporate reporting; politics 1. Introduction History attests to the influence of crisis and scandals as an impetus for regulatory intervention by politicians (Banner, 1997; Reinhart and Rogoff, 2008). After a series of scandals in the UK in the 1990s culminating in the collapse of Barings Bank, there was a dramatic shift in the structure of nnancial regulation that consolidated regulation responsibilities under the auspices of the Financial Services Authority. A wave of financial scandals epitomised by the Enron debacle catalysed swift and sweeping ciianges to US securities regulations with the passage of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002. Today, in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2007-2009, financial accounting standard-setting finds itself drawn into the orbit of complex political processes focused on restructuring the regulation of the world’s financial markets. The crisis has ignited woddwide debate on issues of systemic risk and the role played by financial regulation in creating and exacerbating the crisis. Proposals abound for how regulation of financial markets and financial institutions should be changed to mitigate the potential †¢The authors are at Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina. This paper has been prepared for presentation and discussion at the Information for Better Markets Conference, sponsored by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, 14-15 December 2009. We thank Dan Amiram, Mary Barth, Elieia Cowins, Martien Lubberink, Brian Singleton-Green and Steve Zeff for helpful comments. Correspondence should be addressed to: Professor Robert Bushman, Kenan-Flagler Business School, The Unversity of North Carolina, CB #3490, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3490, USA. E-mail: Bushman@unc. edu. for such large-scale financial meltdowns in the fixture. The scope of regulatory issues under debate spans many aspects of the financial system, including the alleged role played by financial accounting standards in deepening the trajectory of the crisis. The crisis has energised politicians, regulators, and economists to scrutinise financial accounting standards as never before, creating significant pressure for change (see, e. g. G-20, 2009). Given mounting momentum for potentially far reaching regulatory change, this is an opportune moment to step back and carefiilly consider how to organise the analysis of efticient regulatory choice.